Cathwas reportedly warned Shrivastava that she would be sacked for alleged lapses in allowing ineligible students appear for an examination. The trio later reportedly settled for Rs 1 lakh, and Shrivastava recorded her conversation with them on a device given by the Lokayukta police.

With the government demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the Lokayukta police suspected that the old notes may no longer be considered as bribe. So they asked Shrivastava to arrange for the new currency before laying a trap. It took her a couple of days to arrange for five notes of Rs 2,000.

The accused had reportedly agreed to accept Rs 25,000 as the first installment, and were caught accepting the bribe in their office on Tuesday. They were released on bail.